RNP Chapter 100 Stagnant Runes and the Curse That Is Getting Out of Control
Chapter 100 Stagnant Runes and the Curse That Is Getting Out of Control
Chapter 100 Stagnant Runes and the Curse That Is Getting Out of Control
The successful production and distribution of the protective badges injected new vitality into the Eagle's Nest team. Karen did not stop his research; he knew this was just the beginning. Before the Eagle's Nest alchemy platform, he repeatedly tested the badges' reactions to spell impacts of varying intensities, meticulously observing with his True Eye the entire process of the dragonhide annihilating magic, forming a pressurized chamber, and activating the Ironclad Charm, recording the strength, duration, and energy dissipation of each shield.
"The duration is still a bit short," Karen said, looking at the data "average duration of 5.3 seconds (without magic infusion)" in her notebook after a test. "If I attack with my own magic power, the time will be even shorter, maybe less than two seconds. If it could be extended by a few more seconds, the significance at crucial moments would be completely different."
He secured a new dragon skin sample to the fixture, preparing for the next round of impact tests with the "Itchy Bee Swarm" spell. To cool it down, he habitually placed a glass of chilled pumpkin juice on the edge of the lab bench. Perhaps the movement was too large, or perhaps the surface wasn't flat enough, the glass wobbled slightly, and a few drops of the cold liquid splashed onto the edge of the dragon skin sample.
"Pfft." Karen instinctively tried to clean it up with his wand, but the moment he raised his wand, the Eye of Truth caught something unusual.
The flow of active magic, which had been turbulent like dark red magma inside the dragon skin, noticeably slowed down in the area soaked by those few drops of pumpkin juice! The color also seemed to settle down.
This subtle change was like a match struck in the dark, instantly igniting Karen's thoughts.
"Low temperature, how could I have forgotten this direction? Low temperature can suppress the violent nature of the dragon skin's active magic, and even prolong that crucial energy channel window?" He immediately put down his wand, picked up his notebook, and quickly wrote down this accidental discovery. He changed the direction of his experiment without hesitation.
Over the next few days, the temperature in the Eagle's Nest plummeted. Karen set up a small, controlled cooling zone in a corner of the alchemy platform, carefully regulating the local temperature using a modified "Freezing Charm" combined with heat-conducting materials. He placed the dragon skin sample within it, closely monitoring the subtle changes in the flow of magic within it using the Eye of Truth.
Test sequence: Low temperature group (approximately -5℃)
Objective: To observe the dynamic changes of active magic flow and the stability of the "enrichment channel".
Basic Spell: "Itchy Bee Swarm" (Intensity consistently at 40%)
Observation Record:
1. The color of the active magic flow has deepened significantly, from dark red to dark purple, and the flow rate has decreased by about 30%.
2. The efficiency of annihilating foreign magic is slightly reduced (approximately 85% vs. 92% at room temperature), and the annihilation process appears more 'viscous'.
3. The active magic enrichment zone formed after annihilation has a brightness peak that is reduced by about 15%, but the shape is more condensed and the unstable fluctuations are reduced.
Key findings: The duration of enriched channel states was significantly prolonged! From an average of 0.8 seconds at room temperature to an average of 1.2 seconds at low temperatures! Stability was also improved!
After confirming that everything was correct, Karen began to think, "So, how can we apply this discovery to protective badges?"
"Applying a freezing spell directly to the badge? Impractical. Maintaining the spell requires continuous magic, and excessively low temperatures could affect the wearer's comfort or even damage their skin. Using materials? Is there some naturally occurring alchemical material with low-temperature properties or capable of triggering a low-temperature reaction?"
"How could I forget? There are so many runes I haven't tried yet!" Karen flipped through a book about runes, stopping at one page.
He immediately retrieved a new mithril substrate. This time, instead of directly etching the armor runes, he first etched an extremely tiny, complex combination of runes in the center of the substrate. This was derived from the book "Ancient Norse Ice Runes: A Preliminary Exploration" given to him by his teacher, Castor.
A miniature "Isa" rune variant that was selected and improved from the existing ones.
This rune itself does not possess a freezing effect, but its structure has a natural affinity for "cold" or "slow" magical fluctuations.
It can passively absorb and store the weak cold energy in the environment, and when subjected to a violent magical impact, it can instantly release this stored, directional "stagnant" energy field.
Next, he carefully and precisely embedded a fragment of obsidian crystal into the core node of the "Stagnation" rune. The crystal fragment acted like a miniature water pump and tank, greatly enhancing the efficiency and stability of the rune in absorbing, storing, and releasing "Stagnation" energy.
Finally, he etched the complete "Ironclad Spell" rune structure onto the remaining areas of the mithril substrate and solidified the spell.
The processing of the outer dragon skin was also adjusted. When Karen etched the pressure-boosting runes into the inner layer of the dragon skin, he deliberately positioned one of the pits directly opposite the "Stagnation" rune embedded with crystals on the mithril substrate below!
Assembly complete. A brand new protective badge lay in Karen's palm. It looked much the same as the previous version, except that the center faintly revealed a very pale ice-blue hue.
Simulated impact test begins!
"Flipendo! (Repel Spell)"
The magical energy slammed into the dragon's hide!
In the field of vision of the Eye of Truth:
1. The dragon skin's active magic is activated, annihilated, and enriched!
2. The concentrated, violent energy impacted the dented runes, creating high pressure!
3. Under the high pressure, the "Stagnation" rune at the core of the mithril substrate below, with the support of the crystal, instantly released a powerful and directional "Stagnation" energy field, which precisely acted on the "enrichment channel" area that was forming!
4. The originally violent and unstable dark red energy channel, under the influence of this sudden "stagnation" force field, was as if it had been thrown into viscous ice water, and its agitation was instantly suppressed! The structure of the channel became visibly more "solid" and "stable", and its duration was forcibly extended!
5. High pressure simultaneously activated the Ironclad Charm! The protective runes on the mithril base plate erupted with a brighter and more stable white light than ever before! A thick ironclad shield instantly deployed!
Karen held her breath and silently counted in her mind: "—5—6—.7—8!"
It took a full eight seconds for the shield to slowly dissipate! It was more than 60% stronger than the first-generation badge! The shield also felt noticeably thicker and more stable! Moreover, Karen used nearly 80% of his power for this knockback spell.
"Success!" Karen clenched his fist, suppressing his inner elation. The idea of a low-temperature stable channel had been successfully transformed into a practical alchemical application! This badge, which combined runes, special crystals, and dragon skin properties, had achieved a qualitative leap in performance! Afterwards, Karen conducted several more tests to confirm that the data was correct, and then began to work on making more badges.
On Thursday evening, Karen arrived at Professor Castor's office on time, carrying the preliminary results of the improved badge and the complete report of the low-temperature experiment on dragon skin.
The office was filled with the familiar scent of parchment, old books, and some kind of invigorating potion. Professor Castor stood with his back to the door, searching for something in front of the tall bookshelves. His grey robe sleeves were habitually rolled up above his elbows.
"Professor, there has been a breakthrough in our research on the low-temperature properties of dragon skin." Karen got straight to the point, placing the report and a newly made badge on the desk. "By combining the improved 'Isa' rune with obsidian crystal fragments, I have successfully stabilized and extended the magic enrichment channels formed when dragon skin is impacted, increasing the duration of the one-time Iron Armor Shield to an average of eight seconds."
Professor Castor turned around, picked up the report, and quickly flipped through it. His eyes swept over the detailed experimental data and the diagrams of magic flow, especially lingering for a long time on the sections on "Low Temperature Extension Channel Window" and "Application of Stasis Rune-Crystal Combination". A hint of appreciation appeared on his face.
"Very good, Karen." He put down the report, picked up the badge, and said, "Turning a chance discovery into an applicable technique and finding the right alchemical means to realize it—that's the mindset of an alchemist. The application of the 'Stagnation' rune is ingenious, and using crystals to enhance its effectiveness is a wise move. Without a doubt, you can now be considered a mature alchemist."
He set down the badge and looked at Karen: "Continue to explore this direction, trying to quantify the optimal strength and duration window of the 'stagnant' energy field. Also, consider how to apply this stabilizing effect to more durable, non-disposable protective gear; that's the real challenge."
"Yes, Professor! I will continue my research," Karen replied respectfully. His gaze inadvertently swept over the professor's arm, whose sleeves were rolled up, and his heart skipped a beat.
Those cursed patterns! They're even more pronounced than when I reported it last time! I thought they had temporarily stopped spreading last time, but I didn't expect them to start again so quickly.
Just then, Professor Castor seemed to reach for a thick book, *Analysis of Higher Rune Configurations*, on the other side of his desk. His left hand was only halfway raised when his movement suddenly froze! His left arm, covered in black markings, trembled very slightly but clearly, as if tightened by an invisible rope. A fleeting, almost convulsive pain crossed his face, but it was instantly suppressed, and he returned to his usual cold, hard expression.
The next second, his wand, which was resting on the corner of the table, moved very slightly.
boom!
An empty flask in the corner of the desk suddenly shattered without warning! Tiny shards of glass flew everywhere!
The sudden noise made Karen instinctively take a half step back.
"A minor backlash from the experiment, nothing to worry about," Professor Castor's voice rang out, calm and even, as if the stiffness and pain of the moment had never happened. He casually brushed away a few shards of glass that had splashed onto the report with his right hand, his left hand hanging naturally at his sides, his sleeve slipping down to conceal the spreading patterns.
"Scourgify." The debris on the ground vanished instantly.
Karen's heart pounded heavily in his chest. He saw it clearly! It wasn't the backlash from the experiment! It was a curse! Helbo's curse was accelerating its erosion of the professor's body! That brief moment of magical stagnation was a sign of the curse taking effect! But why did the wand react? Could it sense its master's magical fluctuations?
A sense of unease instantly gripped Karen. He wanted to ask, to express his concern, but seeing the professor's expressionless face...
His face rejected any concern, and the words he was about to say were swallowed back. He knew the professor didn't need cheap sympathy; he needed a solution. And he was powerless to do so at the moment.
"—? I understand, Professor." Karen finally responded in a low voice, suppressing her surging emotions. "I will begin the research on durable protection as soon as possible."
"Hmm," Professor Castor responded casually, his gaze already returning to the bookshelf. "Go ahead. Next week's alchemy instruction..."
I would like to see your preliminary proposal on the quantification of stable energy fields.
Karen silently packed his things and left the office. The heavy wooden door closed behind him, shutting out the oppressive atmosphere inside. The coolness of the corridor made him slightly more alert. The professor's curse had worsened; the research had to be accelerated! The previous mithril bracers needed optimization, and the research on the dragonhide protection also needed to be expedited. Perhaps more clues could be found in the parchment scrolls left by Nico and Sinclair's diary? He walked heavily toward the Ravenclaw tower.